Help Finding a Stove

I had to remove our old stove due to it not being EPA certified. I don't know what kind it was but it was working just fine. I have a 2500 square ft house. 1000 square ft basement and 1500 main floor. Stove is in the center of the basement. I live in NE Oregon and have pine and tamarack to burn. It's usually about 10-20F on average and may get down to -20F on rare occasions. I have never bought a stove before and am looking for some advice. I'd like to say away from cast iron and would rather have one without the catalytic convertor. I'd like to keep it under or around $2000 if possible. Just looking for something simple and good quality that will get the job done and be efficient. Any suggestions are welcome.

PE Alderlea T6 - the gentle giant, Jotul 602“Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it.” - Mark Twain -
"A poor worker always blames his tools." - Dad

I have 6 inch stove pipe into a brick chimney. I was wanting to stay away from the catalytic convertor stoves cause I have kids and they are always burning cardboard and stuff. If you don't think that would mess it up I would be open to getting one with the catalytic convertor if they are more efficient. How often do the catalytic convertors need to be replaced and are they generic or do you have to get a specific one for a specific stove? Thanks for your time I will look into the ones mentioned.

If multiple people are running the stove including unsupervised kids, I'd stick with the non-cat plan. There's also a bypass that needs to be opened and closed that requires remembering procedure, something that some teens are not the best at.

PE Alderlea T6 - the gentle giant, Jotul 602“Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it.” - Mark Twain -
"A poor worker always blames his tools." - Dad

I have 6 inch stove pipe into a brick chimney. I was wanting to stay away from the catalytic convertor stoves cause I have kids and they are always burning cardboard and stuff. If you don't think that would mess it up I would be open to getting one with the catalytic convertor if they are more efficient. How often do the catalytic convertors need to be replaced and are they generic or do you have to get a specific one for a specific stove? Thanks for your time I will look into the ones mentioned.

-Travis

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Cardboard is one of the things I really don't put into my stove. It often burns incomplete and when it goes up in the chimney it can ignite a chimney fire should there be any creosote. Plus, if your chimney cap has a screen to keep birds out it can also easily clog that one.

I looked at all the stoves available here last year and got the Englander 30. The non-cat stoves are all pretty much the same design. Tons of people have the 30 here on this forum. I got my 30 on sale last year from HD for $650 delivered. Even at the HD off season price of $900, the 30 is half the price of the Osburn, and it is not half the quality. Same basic stove design and size and all that. The 30 from HD also comes with a leg set and pedestal stand, and a fan. Cannot go wrong with the stove or the price. Use the money saved for a new flue/hearth/OAK and a few beers.

I have 6 inch stove pipe into a brick chimney. I was wanting to stay away from the catalytic convertor stoves cause I have kids and they are always burning cardboard and stuff. If you don't think that would mess it up I would be open to getting one with the catalytic convertor if they are more efficient. How often do the catalytic convertors need to be replaced and are they generic or do you have to get a specific one for a specific stove? Thanks for your time I will look into the ones mentioned.

-Travis

Click to expand...

Does the chimney have a tile liner? What size? How tall? Has it been inspected to know that it's safe? That usually requires a professional sweep with a camera.

If they are both similar quality the Englander will probably be just fine. I get the chimney swept every summer and the guy puts a camera down it, he always says it looks good, It goes from the basement maybe 4-5 ft above the roof, It's about an 8x8 inch opening, made out of some kind of block. The house has been inspected twice in the past 3 years part of why we had to get a new stove and no one has said anything about problems with the chimney. The house overall has been well maintained and is in good shape. I feel safe as far as the chimney is concerned.

Be aware that a modern EPA-stove may not draft well when you have an 8x8 flue. What you do with those stoves is to restrict the airflow so the wood gases out and the gases are then burned at the baffle in the top of the firebox. In order to do that and still have enough draft you need to reduce the diameter of the flue usually to 6-inch diameter although some bigger stoves require 8-inch. If you keep it the way it is you either will need to leave the air open more and a lot of your heat will go up the chimney or you choke it down too much and your fire will just smolder and create a lot of creosote. Both scenarios I would advice to avoid. Thus, put a liner in that will fit your stove.